Vegetable and fruit grader



Q Aug. 29, 1944. s. P. PESZNECKER 2,356,945

VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GRADERS 1 Filed March 18, 1942 2 Sheets -Sheet 1Aug. 29, 1944.

5. P. PESZNECKER VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GRADERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledMarch 18 E9 mw Patented Aug. 29, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEVEGETABLE AND FRUIT GRADER Stephen P. Pesznecker, Portland, Oreg.Application March 18, 1942, Serial No. 435,181

2 Claims.

This invention relates to vegetable and fruit graders, and isparticularly adapted for the grading of onions.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a grader of thischaracter having a series of perforated grading discs arranged, oneabove the other, within a circular casing; said discs having aperturestherethrough of different sizes relative to each of the several gradingdiscs.

Another object of my invention is to provide a driving element uponwhich the grading discs are mounted in such a manner as to permit theremoval of the discs from the driving element for interchanging the samewith other grading discs having different size grading aperturestherethrough.

A still further object of my invention is, to provide means to assistthe product being graded to so position itself over the apertures as toreadily pass through the same when the proper sized product matches theaperture for grading the same. This is accomplished by specially mountedresilient rollers frictionally engaging the underside of the gradingdiscs raising up through the apertures for dislodging any product beinggraded that may be sticking in the apertures and that is small enough topass through the apertures.

These and other incidental objects will be apparent in the drawings andspecification.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of my new and improved vegetable and fruitgrader.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan View, taken on the line 22 of Figure 5,looking in the direction indicated.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan View of the kick-out mechanism, withparts broken away for convenience of illustration. 7 I Figure 4 is afragmentary detail sectional view along the line 44 of Figure 3, andillustrates the principle of operation of the kick-out mechanism.

Figure 5 is sectional side view taken on the line 55 of Figure 1,looking in the direction indicated.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail sectional view illustrating the mannerof mounting the grading discs on the driving element.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail View illustratingthe kick-out mechanism.

Figure 8 illustrates, in sectional side elevation, another method ofremoving the product from the aperture within the grading discs.

In the drawings:

Reference numeral I indicates a framework,

' thereabove and drives the same in the following manner.

A drive shaft 5 extends upwardly from the housing 6 of the unit 3. Acircular conical disc I, having a hub 8 located at its apex is fixedlymounted to the shaft 5 for rotation therewith and locked thereon bysuitable fastening means, such as a set screw 9.

A perforated disc I0, having a hub I I, is fixedly mounted to the shaftby the set screws 9A. This disc has apertures I3 therein. A third disc I4 is mounted to the shaft 5, above the disc It, by its hub I5 and setscrew 93; this disc also has apertures I4A therein. As the product to begraded is fed to the upper disc I4 out of the chute IT and travelsaround with the disc, the smaller products will fall through theapertures [4A onto the perforated disc II], where a second gradingoperation takes place whereby the smaller products will fall through theapertures I3 onto the solid disc I. I do not Wish to be limited to thenumber of separations, as there may be any number of perforated discsprovided.

As the product travels around over the upper disc I4 it is agitated overthe apertures MA in order to assist in grading. This is accomplished bythe downwardly extending flexible elements I9, which are mounted to theunderside of the bars 20. The bars are fixed to the hub 20A and the hubis loosely mounted to the upper end of the shaft 5 and held fromrotating by the bar 200 engaging a stop 203. When the product travelsunder the bars 20 the flexible elements I9 turn the product over on thesurface of the disc I4, causing the smaller products to pass downthrough the openings MA. A flexible baffle 2I extends down from thebarZOC for directing the product around over the disc I4 in thedirection of the arrow in Figure 1.

As the product travels around with the disc I 0 and I4, furtheragitation of the product on the surface of the discs and apertures isrequired. To accomplish this I provide hubs 23 and 24 which are looselymounted to the shaft 5 and do not revolve therewith. Horizontal shafts25 are provided, having one of their ends fixedly mounted to thesupporting arms 26 of the hubs 23 and 24 by lock nuts 26A, and theiropposite ends mounted and supported in the openings 2'! of thecylindrical drum 2.

Arms 28 are yieldingly and swingably mounted 2 to the shafts 25, and areprovided with wheels 29 journaled to their outer ends at 30. The wheelsregister with the apertures l3 and [4A within the discs 10, and 14respectively, as best illustrated in Figures 1 and 5. The wheels areforced against the underside of the discs l and M by springs 32, havingone of their ends fastened securely to the shaft 25 at 33, and theiropposite ends engaging the arm 28 at 35.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be noted that a group of kick-out wheels29B are located adjacent the discharge chute 22, these wheels dislodgethe product into the chute 22. Located in advance of the group of wheels29B is another group 290. The purpose of the group of wheels 290 is toturn the product over on the surface of the disc 14 so that the smallerproduct will pass down through the apertures MA onto the disc ll Afterthe product passes down through the disc [4 the same operation takesplace relative to the disc ll], providing a. further separation of theproduct. The product that will not pass through the disc I0 is passedinto the discharge chute 35. Any product that passes down through thedisc l0 will be delivered upon the disc 1, and discharged by way of thechute 36. The chutes 22, 35 and 3B deliver the product into suitablesack receiving arrangements not here shown.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, it will be noted that the kick-out wheels29 are offset relative to the openings of the discs. The reason forthis, as best shown in Figure 4, is to force the product 3| toward thechute 22, when it is raised from the openings MA, to assist indischarging the same.

It has been found that centrifugal force of the rotating disc alone willnot always discharge the product, and the offsetting of the kick-outwheels need only be adjacent the discharge chutes, as shown, forinstance, by the group of kick-out wheels 2913. The group of Wheels 290do not have to be offset as they are only for the purpose of turning theproduct over on the surface of the disc. The group of rollers underneaththe disc ID are arranged similar to those just described adjacent thedisc M.

In Figure 8, the modified form of kick-out mechanism illustrated,comprises a supporting bar 50, equivalent to the shaft 25, locatedunderneath the perforated discs. Mounted to this bar is a series offlexible shoes 5| riding against the under surface of the disc. 'Whenthe shoe 5| engages the opening MA, the spring tension thereof forcesthe point 52 of the shoe up through the openin dislodging the productthereabove.

\ The grading discs l0 and '14 may be readily removed from the drivingshaft as follows: The hub 20A is first removed then the set screw 9B isloosened from the hubs 8 of the disc 14. The kick-out assemblies maynext be removed by loosening the holding nuts 26A which permits the hub23 to revolve slightly pulling the shaft 25 out of the openings 21 ofthe drum 2 allowing the assemblies to be removed. The simplicity ofinterchanging the grading discs is one of the important features of myinvention.

I will now describe a cycle of operation of my new and improvedvegetable and fruit grader. The product is fed into the machine by wayof chute l1 and is carried around in the direction of the arrow by thedisc [4, a it passes under the bars 20 the flexible downwardly extendingelements l9 roll it about over the surface of the disc [4, causing thesmaller of the product to pass through the apertures MA. The product isfurther agitated and rolled about by the kick-out wheels 29C, and by thetime it reaches the chute 22 the smaller products will have passed downthrough the apertures, the larger product that cannot pass through theapertures is dislodged by the kick-out wheels 29B, and due to thecentrifugal action of the revolving discs, the larger product will rollinto the chute 22. The products that have passed through the disc M willbe again graded on the discs l0 through smaller apertures. The kick-outwheels agitating the same and also kicking the final product out throughthe chute 35. The smaller product that passes through the apertures l3will then be delivered to the solid disc I and out through the chute 3B.

I do not wish to be limited to the particular mechanical constructionshown, as other forms of mechanical embodiment may be employed, stillcoming within the scope of the claims to follow.

I claim:

1. A machine for the purpose specified comprising in combination, aframe, a vertically disposed open ended drum carried by the upper end ofsaid frame, a concentrically disposed driven shaft extending into saiddrum from the lower end thereof, vertically spaced apertured gradingdisks removably mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith within saiddrum, said disks substantially conforming to the interior diameter ofthe drum and the apertures of the upper disk being larger than those ofthe subsequent disk, material supply means for said upper disk, gradedarticle discharge means carried by said drum at its side above saidrespective disks, radially extending arms removably and looselyjournalled on said shaft below said disks, a plurality of yieldingpresser members carried by each of said arms and bearing against thebottom of the superjacent disk in alinement with apertures thereofwhereby to dislodge articles sticking in said apertures, anddrum-carried anchoring means detachably engaging the outer ends of saidarms.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 and a single bearing for saidshaft carried by said frame below the lowermost disk whereby the diskscan be removed by way of the upper end of the shaft without dismantlingthe same.

STEPHEN P. PESZNECKER.

